Bernie Sanders defends his democratic socialist philosophy



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The president, he said, "believes in corporate socialism for the rich and powerful, I believe in a democratic socialism that works for the working families of this country."

Speaking with a teleprompter, Mr. Sanders delivered his speech in a small theater at George Washington University, a dozen flags behind him. The venue, located just steps from the offices of most major news agencies, was filled with people invited by the campaign, as well as members of the media, who accounted for about one-third of the audience.

His speech was similar to the one he delivered in November 2015 at Georgetown University when he first ran for president. In this speech, Mr. Sanders – who at the time was a challenge for Hillary Clinton but surprisingly robust – also has been presented as an heir to the policies and ideals of Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. King and has presented democratic socialism as a system. this guarantees people access to health care, access to higher education and paid jobs at least at minimum wage.

In the political field, socialism has become an elastic term that takes on different meanings depending on the point of view and the ideology of the person. Mr. Sanders has sought to contrast his type of democratic socialism with that of a government-run economy and industry. But sometimes, during his long career in the public service, he also advocated policies oriented towards a more traditional definition of socialism.

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In the 1970s, for example, he argued for the nationalization of certain industries, including energy companies and banks. And as mayor of Burlington in the 1980s, he went further than many Democrats in supporting socialist leaders. Throughout his political career, he has spoken of revolution, espousing sympathy for the working class and the poor, whom he claims suffer in the hands of for-profit corporations and the rich and powerful who run them. Eugene V. Debs, the union organizer, is one of his political heroes.

Although he remains popular among members of the progressive left, Sanders has worked in recent months not only to broaden his base, but also to retain the voters who had supported him in 2016. A recent poll Des Moines Register and CNN showed that Sanders had lost ground over the past three months among loyal Iowa caucus members, even as Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, in Indiana, had jumped.

A poll released Wednesday by Monmouth University, an hour before the start of Sanders' speech, showed that Warren surpassed Sanders among Democratic voters in Nevada, a key state in his early days, with 19% support from Mr. Sanders voters. percent.

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